The need for safety systems for trapeze artists is of paramount importance in view of the elevated height at which the trapeze artist performs his/her routine. Generally, the trapeze artist fastens a safety belt or harness around their waist and a safety rope is attached to the safety belt. The safety rope is wound over a pulley situated above the swings and platforms used by the trapeze artist and held at its other end by a person. The person controls the appropriate amount of slack in the rope to enable the trapeze artist to perform his routine while preventing the trapeze artist from impacting the ground in the event the trapeze artist falls from the swings or platforms. A net is also usually positioned below the swings and platforms to catch the trapeze artist in the event of a fall. The safety rope is held at its free end by a person who continuously adjusts the length of the safety rope to reduce excess slack in the rope so as to allow the trapeze artist to fall safely into the net, while avoiding injury due to excess slack in the rope just prior to a fall.
The trapeze artist must often climb a ladder to reach the level of a trapeze platform from which he or she can begin a routine. To ensure the safety of the trapeze artist when climbing the ladder, the safety rope is connected to the safety belt worn by the trapeze artist as the trapeze artist begins the ascent up the ladder. In this manner, the trapeze artist is connected to the safety rope from the moment he or she climbs the ladder to the end of the routine.
When the trapeze swings and platforms are to be used by numerous trapeze artists, such as in a training situation or camp, it is a drawback that the trapeze artist must be connected to the same safety rope while climbing the ladder as when performing the routine. Since, in conventional systems, the same safety system is used for both climbing the ladder and when performing the routine, the next using the system must wait until the prior person completes his/her routine before the next person can begin climbing the ladder to reach a position ready to start his or her routine immediately. This slows down the training operation and severely limits the number of people who can use the equipment in a given period of time.